Winches are pulling or lifting devices, which pull in or let out a line. Winches function by winding or unwinding the line that is coiled around a rotating drum. A winch fairlead is commonly used to direct the line as it winds or unwinds along the drum. Typically, the line should be at a shallow angle, 20 degrees or less, from perpendicular to the drum axis. When this is achieved, friction is minimized between the line and the internal edges of the fairlead that surround the line. Most efficiently, the line is exactly perpendicular to the drum axis. Thus, a problem arises if the line is connected to a load that is at a wide angle, such as when the load is at an angle of 45 degrees, causing the line to be at a 45-degree angle from perpendicular to the drum axis. Friction created between the line and the fairlead reduces the pulling capacity of the winch and shortens the life of the line (can cause the line to fray, for example).